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Sisterly subject

Girls know more about biotechnology than boys, according to a survey
conducted by the Agricultural and Food Research Council and the University
of Birmingham.

Girls in the sample of nearly 200 GCSE-age children (14 to 16 years
old) had a better understanding of the terms ‘biotechnology’ and ‘genetic
engineering’, and were more able to give examples.

A third of the children could not describe or understand what the terms
meant, despite simple biotechnology and genetics being part of the GCSE
syllabus. Those that could answer often chose traditional examples from
the brewing and dairy industries.

The attitude of the children to biotechnology was influenced by the
way it was described. They were more at home with broad terms such as
‘biotechnology’ than detailed descriptions, such as ‘changing the genes’,
but the researchers think this might be due to confusion over the meanings.